Five Sheridan alumni earn Emmy nominations

The nominees of this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards include five graduates from Sheridan’s Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design. Craig Henighan (Media Arts ’95), Jill Purdy (Media Arts ’96) and Alex Bullick (Media Arts ‘02) have once again earned nods for their work in sound, while Stephanie Gorin (Media Arts ‘81) and Rick O’Connor (Animation ‘97) have been recognized for their contributions to casting and visual effects, respectively.

"Our alumni continue to make significant impacts within the film and television landscape," says Mark Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Animation, Art and Design. “Their talents enrich visual storytelling worldwide. Sheridan takes great pride in seeing their work honoured with Emmy nominations.”

Henighan, Purdy and Bullick all received nominations in the category of Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special. Both Henighan and Purdy were nominated for their work on the Netflix mini-series All The Light We Cannot See, while Bullick received recognition for his sound editing on the FX drama series Fargo.

With five Emmy awards and an Oscar nomination to his name, Henighan has cemented himself as an expert in sound editing and mixing. Purdy is also no stranger to Emmy recognition, having earned three nominations in less than 10 years. This marks Bullick’s second Emmy nod to date, and his second so far for Fargo. His work on the series was also recognized with a nomination from the Canadian Screen Awards earlier this year.

Gorin was nominated for Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her contribution to Fargo. She has also been awarded an Emmy in the past, and in 2017 won the prestigious Colleges Ontario Premier’s Award in the category of Creative Arts and Design. With 27 years of experience, she has acted as casting director for major works such as It: Chapter 2 and Anne with an E.

O’Connor earned his first Emmy nomination in the category Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie for his work on the Star Wars universe series Ahsoka. His visual effects career includes contributions to several notable film franchises such as Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones and Star Trek.

The Emmys are scheduled to be presented on September 15. Sheridan’s award-winning alumni from the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design have a long history of success at the Emmys and in other top awards competitions including the Oscars and Canadian Screen Awards — recognition that inspires our learners and the broader community.